When Ground Combat Meets Tankery
by Asedno
Summary: What happens when a team of gun-toting boys join forces with a group of tank driving girls, in a bid to save their school? Violence without the bloodshed, so this should be interesting! (No pairings, though they should occur soon enough. It's boys with girls, what were you expecting? Rated T just to be safe)
1. Prologue

Aiko Takahashi lay low in the tall grass, his hands clutching a MG42 machine gun. Beside him was Takeo Hirota, his ammunition carrier and childhood friend. Slung across his back was a StG 44 assault rifle. Behind him were three other boys, namely Tatsuo Kobe, Kenji Takashima and Daichi Hirano. Both Tatsuo and Kenji were armed with MP40s, while Daichi carried a Kar 98k fitted with a 4x Zeiss ZF42 scope. Aiko depressed his throat mic. "Anglerfish team, this is machine gun squad 2. We have spotted enemy tanks supporting enemy infantry, approximately 600 metres south of where we are, at grid point 1058. There are two T34s and one IS-2 heading east. We have 3 Panzerfausts with us. Permission to engage, over."

"Machine gun squad 2, this is Anglerfish team, engage on my signal, but main priority are the tanks. If you can't take them out after 2 Panzerfausts, pull back immediately to point 1043." The earpiece in Aiko's ear crackled to life with Miho Nishizumi's voice. "Leopon's heading over now to support if necessary. What are the positions of other infantry squads around you?"

"Scout patrol 3 is about 300 metres west of our position. We have linked up with mortar squad 2." Aiko responded.

"That's fine, machine gun squad 2. You have permission to engage. Out." Miho cut the transmission.

"Alright Daichi, you heard her. Get the tank commanders, and then mortar squad 2 will cut loose at the infantry." Aiko started giving out orders. "Tatsuo, Kenji, grab a Panzerfaust each, and close in on the tanks. Fire at the T34s. Takeo, grab a Panzerfaust yourself. We'll close in, fire on the infantry, and hopefully cut them all down. While I'm at it, Takeo, fire at the rear of the IS-2, and if that's not possible, then fire at the tracks. Mortar squad 2, take out the IS-2 if it's still functioning. Everyone clear?"

"Yes Sir!" the men shouted. Daichi immediately swung his Kar 98k around and took aim, while the men of mortar squad 2 went about setting up their equipment. "Mortar squad 2 ready!" the squad leader reported. Almost immediately, a single shot rang out across the plain, smoke seeping from the breech of the rifle as Daichi cycled the bolt. Another two shots were swiftly delivered, before Daichi set the gun down. "Mortar squad 2, deliver your rounds." He said emotionlessly.

The shells rocketed out of the tubes, descending among the panicking Russian infantry behind the tanks. The armoured support had lost their leadership, and were quickly rendered ineffective. "Alright boys, let's show these Russians how the Japanese fight! Move out!" Aiko commanded. The four boys dashed forward, their weapons blazing. The onslaught of mortar fire kept the Russian infantry where they were, making them easy pickings for Aiko and his squad. Quickly positioning himself beside the first T34, Tatsuo fired his Panzerfaust, quickly disabling it. The crew jumped out, only to be quickly cut down by Kenji's MP40. The other two tanks turned around to face the two of them, but their actions proved to be too slow as the same thing happened to the second T34. Having expended their anti-tank ammunition, Tatsuo and Kenji turned to mopping up the rest of the Russian infantry.

"Takeo, take the IS-2 now!" Aiko hollered over the chattering of the MG42, prompting Takeo to burst forward, Panzerfaust in hand, towards the rear of the IS-2. However, Aiko spotted something move out of the corner of his eye. As Takeo took aim, he failed to notice a tall girl with long hair rise from the commander's cupola. Her face was void of expression, and she held a Nagant M1895 revolver in her hand. She raised the gun at Takeo, and her index finger tightened around the trigger. Aiko didn't have the time to react as a shot rang out.

"Takeo!"


	2. Chapter 1

It was another one of those mundane nights on the Nagoya Boys Academy ship. Aiko Takahashi lay in his bed, going through the events of the day in his mind.

* * *

" _They're closing down the school ship?! Why?" Aiko yelled at Hisashi Kimura, his student council president. "We won Ground Combat Nationals, didn't we? Is the ministry not honouring their word?"_

" _Relax, Aiko. Remember, you're not the only one affected." Hisao Nagano, the vice-president, tried to calm the adolescent down._

" _I'm sorry. It's just that I'm pretty annoyed with the fact that the ministry says one thing and then does another. So, how's everything gonna work?"_

" _About time you asked," Hisashi spoke. "The students are going to have to find another school to go to. All the stuff in long term storage will be sorted out, and we get to decide whether to keep it, sell it or dispose of it. This ship itself is going to be dismantled, and possibly scrapped."_

" _I'm willing to bet this wasn't the reason you called me here," Aiko countered the seated individual. "So please cut the crap and tell me the real reason." All of a sudden, the doors behind Aiko burst open and Toshio Miyoshi, the PR manager, burst through, his face flushed and his breathing heavy. "They accepted." Toshio gasped. "We have a chance after all!"_

 _Confused, Aiko threw a glance at Toshio before turning back to Hisashi. "Well?"_

" _Take a seat, please. There's a lot for me to explain to you."_

* * *

Sighing loudly, Aiko turned over in his bed. His school was being shut down because another school, Ooarai Girls Academy, also managed to win the national championships in terms of Tankery. Tankery was a much bigger thing compared to Ground Combat, and in the end, it was Ooarai being saved, while Nagoya was being scrapped. He let out a groan of frustration, before going over the second thing in his mind.

* * *

" _You're the captain of the Ground Combat team, and we felt you should be the first to know." Hisashi had said._

" _About what?" Aiko asked, more confused and disoriented in his entire life._

" _Heard of Ooarai Girls Academy?" Hisao spoke up._

" _Yeah. They won the Tankery National Tournament, right?"_

" _Yes. Apparently they were in the same predicament as us," Hisashi explained. "They made the same deal with the ministry, and now they have avoided our fate."_

" _So what does that have to do with us, or rather, me?"_

" _Ooarai is not out of shit yet. They still have funding issues, and the only way for them to solve those issues is for them to become co-ed." Hisashi stated emotionlessly. "Hisao?"_

" _Hai. The Tankery club over in Ooarai have heard about us. Do you know of the Ground Strike National Tournaments, Aiko?"_

" _Yes. Tankery and Ground Combat teams come together to simulate actual ground warfare." Aiko mused. "Don't tell me Ooarai needed a Ground Combat team and asked us to join."_

" _Not that simple, kid," Toshio cut in. "We were the ones who approached them. They agreed to let us in, but they had a condition."_

" _Condition? They probably want to challenge us to a match where the infantry go up against their tanks." Aiko joked, only to stop short when he noticed the looks on the student council's faces._

" _Got it in one, captain," Hisashi smirked, "Time to work on anti-tank infantry tactics, 'cos they're only letting us in based on this condition."_

* * *

 _At least we've got weapons like Panzerfausts and bazookas,_ he thought to himself, trying to give his team a chance. He rolled over once more in what would be his room no more in less than a month, and settled fitfully into sleep.

* * *

Several hundreds of kilometres away, Miho Nishizumi was in the Ooarai student council office, her good friends Hana Isuzu and Saori Takebe.

"So, we're going up against and infantry squad in tanks? Should be simple enough," Saori said, albeit a bit too enthusiastic for the liking of both Miho and Anzu Kadotani, their president.

"A force made up of purely tanks is not as strong as it seems," Miho stated, "especially if the enemy is a group of infantry. I'm willing to bet they will have with them all sorts of anti- tank weapons."

"It really doesn't matter, though," Anzu cut in, "'cos the purpose of this match is to test their strength. We're letting them in regardless the outcome."

"Wha… Prez!" Momo Kawashima, their PR manager, exclaimed in horror. "You don't mean to say that we're letting them in even if their performance is not up to standard?"

"We have no choice." Anzu replied, "If we don't accept them, the school's going to be closed down as well. After all we have done…" The once jovial Anzu looked down, frowning. All of the girls in the room did the same, imagining the grim possibility of that happening. Hana, uncomfortable with the deafening silence around her, decided to ask a question to ease the tension in the room.

"Err… how about the ammunition? The cannons are definitely going to be fired, so how is it still going to be safe?"

"Good question." Anzu replied, quickly switching back to her cheerful disposition. "Yuzu?"

"Different types of simunition have been developed in order to ensure the safety of participants," the vice-president explained, "meaning that the round will explode and shatter before it reaches the combatants on the ground, not harming them at all."

"The machine guns are definitely also going to be used… holy shit! I'm the new bow gunner!" Saori wailed, obviously horrified at the idea of shooting actual people.

"Calm down, Saori," Miho tried to comfort her distressed friend, "It's not like we're actually trying to kill them."

"Oh, that reminds me," Anzu quickly added, "Our tanks have to be converted slightly to meet safety standards for infantry battles. This means that the main cannons and machine guns are going to require replacing, to ensure they only accept league-legal simunition."

"That must have cost a lot," Hana wondered aloud. "I wonder where we got the funding for that."

"Relax," Yuzu replied quickly. "We got a fair amount for winning nationals, and that has covered the costs, although not completely. We've used a fair amount of our budget for this, but it goes toward the school's survival, and so the Principal didn't mind."

"Thank you," Miho politely addressed the three council members, "but it's getting quite late. We really should get going. Goodbye." The three students gave them a crisp bow, before exiting the room.

* * *

 **Hi guys! This is my first ever published fanfic, so I don't expect my stories to be of top condition. Thanks for taking the time to read my story. I plan to develop this into a series, so constructive criticism will be accepted. Do note, however, that as with all other fanfics, insults and non-constructive criticisms will be ignored. Thanks once again, and hopefully Chapter 2 will be out soon.**


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